The use of vibration in order to facilitate migration of materials has long been known. It is also known to provide vibrators on the underside of vehicles under the payload area in order to allow the material in the dump truck body portion to be slid off of the truck, particularly when the payload has a high coefficient of friction or tends to clump.
The following prior art reflects the state of the art of which applicants are aware and is included herewith to discharge applicants' acknowledged duty to disclose relevant prior art. It is stipulated, however, that none of these references teach singly nor render obvious when considered in any conceivable combination the nexus of the instant invention without invention having taken place.
PATENT NO. ISSUE DATE INVENTOR 1,820,320 August 25, 1931 Pickop 3,106,652 October 8, 1963 Burt 3,003,733 October 10, 1961 Peterson 3,343,876 September 26, 1967 Rapp 3,363,806 January 16, 1968 Blakeslee, et al. 3,408,872 November 5, 1968 Simmons, et al. 3,408,876 November 5, 1968 Andrews 3,438,677 April 15, 1969 Redpath 3,485,401 December 23, 1969 Meyer 3,731,907 May 8, 1973 Lash 3,747,980 July 24, 1973 Hansen 3,879,018 April 22, 1975 Hunter 4,175,906 November 27, 1979 Johnston, et al. SU 763-163 September 18, 1980 Greben 4,522,500 June 11, 1985 Hyer SU 1180-279-A September 23, 1985 Vniistroidormash SU 1291-465-A February 23, 1987 Tashk SU 1657-423-A June 23, 1991 Timokhin 5-85249 June 14, 1991 Katayama
For example, the patent to Lash teaches the use of a bin or hopper vibrator system. The vibrator is an unidirectional pneumatic vibrator which includes a sleeve member having a tapered bore therein for positioning upon a correspondingly tapered pin member. An adapter unit is provided which may be affixed to a surface to be vibrated, and which includes a pin member having a taper corresponding to the taper of the bore in the sleeve of the vibrator.
The patent to Redpath teaches the use of a vibrator for dumping vehicles. The vibrator comprises an electric motor controlled from the cab of the truck which drives a shaft having an eccentric weight thereon. The shaft is mounted in a pair of bearings. When the vehicle is in dumping position the vibrator is run in order to loosen material that adheres to the bottom or sides of the cargo area.
The patent to Hansen teaches the use of a vibrator for dump trucks. A vibrator for the box of a dump truck is formed with an elongated square tube containing apertured plates with the first plate at one end of the tube, the second plate adjacent to the other end of the tube and the third plate between the other two and nearer to the first plate. Bolted to the outer face of the first plate is an electric motor with its shaft projecting through the aperture in the first plate and connected to the first shaft with a flexible coupling whereby actuation of the motor will vibrate the box of the dump truck.
The patent to Johnston, et al., teaches the use of a vibrator for a dumping vehicle. The vibrator includes a pressure relief valve, when the valve opens, hydraulic fluid is pumped to a hydraulic motor which drives a vibrator which is bolted to the dump body. The vibrator loosens the material being dumped and prepares it to slide out of the body at its natural dumping angle.
The other prior art listed above but not specifically described teach other devices which further catalog the prior art of which the applicant is aware. These references appear more remote on their face from the references specifically discussed above.